Letter of Apology by Rabbi Joseph Saul Nathansohn, Author of Sho'el U'Meshiv – 1873

Letter of Apology by Rabbi Joseph Saul Nathansohn, Author of Sho'el U'Meshiv – 1873
Interesting letter signed by Rabbi Joseph Saul Halevi Nathansohn Av Beit Din of Lvov and its district. Lvov (Lemberg), 1873.
Sent to Rabbi Gedalya Tiktin Av Beit Din of Breslau; an apology for suspecting him of a certain wrongdoing [apparently, a false rumor that he supported Reform Judaism] and writing a letter opposing him.
Thus he writes in this letter: "I wish to ask your forgiveness again for suspecting someone upright like you, although I did not fabricate these thoughts. Someone revealed this to me in secret and this turned into an uproar. Blessed be he who falls into suspicion for naught. G-d should bless you and bring you success, and the merit of your holy ancestors should save you…". At the beginning of the letter, he writes that at the time he received his letter "The heavens opened and I saw G-dly visions, that your honor…is faithful as is fitting to your honor and the honor of your great forefathers…G-d should be with you like he was with your holy ancestors".
The famed Rabbi Joseph Saul Nathansohn, author of Sho'el U'Meshiv (1808-1875) was an illustrious Galician Torah scholar. In his youth, he already wrote the renowned books Mifresei Yam and Magen Giborim on the Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim together with his brother-in-law Rabbi Mordechai Ze'ev Ettinger. He wrote thousands of responsa and many books: The Sho’el U’Meshiv responsa – 15 volumes; Divrei Shaul on the Torah, on the Rambam and on the Shulchan Aruch, Yedot Nedarim, and more. From 1857, he served as Chief Rabbi of the Lvov community which was the largest and most dominant community in Galicia. At his death, he was eulogized by Rabbi Zalman Shpitzer (son-in-law of the Chatam Sofer) who said: “Torah genius among geniuses, Rabbi of Israel…all the Torah leaders of our times sent him all difficult questions…He grew in holiness in the study of Torah and G-d’s service…Forty years ago, my father-in-law, my teacher, the Chatam Sofer spoke his lengthy praises and called him a ‘Gaon’…”.
The recipient of the letter: Rabbi Gedalya Tiktin (1808-1886), served for more than 40 years as Av Beit Din of Breslau (from 1843), succeeding his father, Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Tiktin and his grandfather Rabbi Avraham Tiktin who served before him in the city rabbinate.
[1] leaf, approximately 20 cm. Scribal writing, signed by Rabbi Joseph Saul. Good-fair condition. Wear and tears to left margins.